hidden tree
Hey y’all. Most of you know I rescued a bearded dragon on october 1st of this year from a neglectful situation. He was kept in a 40 gal with no UVB and on soiled paper towels. When I got him he was immediately upgraded to a 4x2x2 and based on behavior he went right onto substrate (not ideal but I was still able to easily monitor fecals as he would only go in water for a while). Substrate is a 50/30/20 of soil, clay, sand. He gets mixed greens everyday (collard, mustard, watercress, arugula etc) and bugs (mealworms, dubias, crickets) 3-4x a week with a schedule of calcium, D3, vitamins and probiotics. Basking spot is 100-102F. Cool side is around 75.
So now for the questions. I took him to the vet a week or so after I got him. He was clear of everything. No parasites, no signs of MBD, no blockages. He was having loose stools with undigested food in them for a while. X-rays showed a build up of gas but no apparent reason for it. Did 10 days of antibiotics with no clear improvement in fecal quality which is when I researched and started him on weekly probiotics. This improved his fecal quality to where it is now which is about 80% normal quality. My biggest worry with him is that he is still incredibly dark and I’m guessing there’s a hole in my husbandry somewhere but I’m unsure where. First pic is when I first got him. Second two are from the last few weeks. Last pic is of current setup.
Anyone have any ideas as to why he’s still so dark in both coloration and in his beard?
bold marlin
zenith jungle
